A mixed up pup
by Chase Wolfe
Summary: Rocky is tired of being the “mutt” of paw patrol, but he stays anyway, until one day he finds a friend and home and everything seems to click together, but what happens when old friends and old rivals appear in Rockys new life?
1. chapter 1

**Chapter one**

 **Lost and Found**

Hi, I'm Rocky, a former member of the PAW PATROL and this is my story, so I'll give you my background, ever since I was a kid I've been teased about being a "mutt" but I've come to terms with it.

I don't remember my dad very much and probably never will, My mom tried very hard to take care of me, but in the end she decided that it was best if I joined PAW PATROL so that's where she left me.

When I first joined the patrol, I was constantly teased and made fun of because of the whole 'mixed breed thing' until eventually they stopped...at least most of them.

For a while I worked with paw patrol, fixing things as needed and necessary, but little did I know that while on a routine call one fall day, everything would change...

"Alright I'll need Chase, Marshal, and Rocky for this mission" Ryder asks

"Chase is on the case!"

"I'm fired up!"

"Green means go!"

We shouted, then took the slide out to our vehicles and followed Ryder to the scene of accident. When we arrived we found that the dam for adventure bay had a leak in it

"Ok Marshal, we need your extension ladder right there"

"Ok Ryder" marshal swung his extension ladder to the crack in the dam

"Good, Rocky we need you to climb up the ladder and fix it"

"You got it Ryder!" I said

I climbed up the ladder with ease until I reached the crack, I went to work fixing the leak and crack when I felt a strong cold breeze on my back, I looked up to my amazement to see a rain storm forming, a moment later I heard a deep rumble behind the thick wall, so I put my ear up against it and heard something with power rushing towards the dam, my heart sank

Flash flood

"Ryder! Marshal, Chase get to higher ground!" I shouted

They looked at me then heard the rumble of the flash flood before making a mad dash for the high ground

I tried to climb off the ladder but by the time I reached the ground it was too late. The flash flood hit the dam with all it's power and it collapsed like an eggshell, I was swept away under the current

"Rocky!!" Ryder yelled

Unfortunately at that time, that was the last thing I heard before everything went black.

When I finally woke up I was scratched, bruised and in water, soaked from head to tail but I didn't care, I was alive and that's all that mattered.

"No wonder I hate water so much" I said to myself

I pulled myself up onto the river shore and began licking my scratches when a boy, about 14 years old walked up to me...

"Hey boy, you ok?" He asked in a soft tone of voice

I tried to say something but couldn't, I could only sit there and whimper. the boy knelt down beside me and looked at my tag on my collar...

"Rocky, that's a cool name"

He flipped the tag and tried to read it

"Well Rocky, I can't read your information but by the looks of it, you had a tough time yesterday"

I nodded my head

"Yeah, really tough" I agreed

The boy stared at me

"You...you...you can talk!" The boy shouts in disbelief

I then realized that the river might have carried me a bit farther than I first thought

"Yes I can talk, why wouldn't I?"

The boy stared at me watching my every move, after he determined that I was friendly he asked me another question

"Oh, well, do you know where your home is?"

"Home?" I asked

"Yeah, home. You do have one...don't you?"

Well I had a head quarters and a dog house but I don't really think those are considered "homes."

"Home? Not really, no" I answered

The boy gave me a good look, and when he finished a spark appeared in his eyes

"If you don't have a home, you could come live with me in my home" the boy asked

A home? for me? No one had ever offered anything like this to me. I looked up the river then turned back to the boy

"I'll tell you what, if no one comes looking for me in one month, I'll be your dog" I told him

To tell you the truth, I didn't ever want to go back with the paw patrol again! I just wanted to move away as far as possible and live a life filled with adventure, excitement, and...love.

I tried to get up only to stumble back to the ground. I looked at the boy

"By the way, I never learned your name" I asked

"James" he replied

"So...James, you won't mind helping me up...will you?"

"Of course not"

He bent over beside me and picked me up into his arms, I was still a pup at the time so it really wasn't that hard, he then carried me all the way to his house down the river

When we arrived, James set me down on the wooden front porch

"Okay, you wait here while I go ask my dad" he told me

He turned around and walked inside. The debate went on for about 15 minutes before his dad(with a little persuasion from James mom)finally caved in and let me stay for a while until someone came for me

"So what are you gonna call him?" His dad asked

"Rocky" James replied

His dad stared at him with a blank face

"Rocky?"

"Yup, Rocky"

"Man, dog names keep getting weirder and weirder" James dad mumbled to himself but believe me, I heard him.

The next morning James was up and as part of the agreement with his dad, he had to hang up "found dog" papers all over the town. And when we were done I sat on the front porch and waited, and waited, and waited for someone from the paw patrol to(unfortunately) come pick me up...it never happened

"Did they really forget about me that fast?" I would think to myself at night until finally the long month was over, I had found a permanent home and I was there to stay.


	2. Home life

**Home life**

I woke up the next morning and found myself curled up on a nice, warm bed, I could hear bacon sizzling just outside of the room and my PAW PATROL collar sitting on the dresser

"Where am I?" I said out loud

"Oh yeah, my first day to be a real dog" I remembered

I hopped off the bed and trotted into the kitchen, there I found James mom cooking the bacon, his dad reading the newspaper at the table in the dining room, and James doing the morning chores. James heard my footsteps coming from behind him, he turned around and asked me with a smile...

"Hey Rocky, sleep good last night?"

I gave a joyful bark and continued into the kitchen, once I was in the kitchen, I sat down and watched as James mom cooked breakfast. When she was done, she gathered the dishes and placed them on the table in an orderly fashion.

"Breakfast is ready" she called

James ran into the dining room with an ecstatic face

"finally, I was about to starve!" James exclaimed

"I was about to eat my newspaper" James dad replied

After the family was done eating, James and his dad discussed future summer plans...

"So, what are you going to do this summer?"

"I was planning on practicing my basketball skills so I could make the freshman team"

"Oh...what were you going to do with Rocky then?"

"Take him with me...all the kids who have dogs are doing it"

"Ok, as long as you keep an eye on him"

"Don't worry... I will"

James stood up and walked into his room, he came back out with my collar...

"But first, I got to get Rocky a new collar" James said holding it in his hand

"This one is so worn out, it's already falling apart"

"Sounds good, and pick up some dog food while you're at it" James dad said giving him a 20 dollar bill

So off we went to the pet store to get a new collar and some dog food, on our way I decided to get to know James a bit better...

"So, you play basketball?"

"Ever since I can remember"

"I bet you're pretty good at it"

"I could be better"

A moment of silence followed

"Rocky, have you ever been...teased?" James asked

I thought about it for a moment

"A little bit" I answered

We came to pet store and opened the door, an older man was behind the front desk when we walked in...

"Oh hey James, ah new dog I see, well what can I do for you today?"

"Hey Mr. Johnson, I was just wondering if you could maybe get some dog food and a new collar"

"Ok, do you want a twenty pound or ten pound sack of dog food?"

"Twenty"

Mr Johnson picked up a pen and wrote on a piece of notebook paper

"Alright and what about the collar?"

James laid my old collar on the desk

"Do you think you could engrave Rocky's name on a steel dog tag or something?"

Mr Johnson picked up my collar and examined it...

"Do you want a normal collar or something like his old one? if you want a collar like his old one you might as well go to adventure bay, because I don't make these"

James looked at me, I shook my head, I wanted to get rid of as many memories of PAW PATROL as I could and it started with a new collar

"No sir, we'll take a normal one, preferably green"

Mr Johnson laid the collar back on the desk

"Ok, the collar will be ready this afternoon, I'm assuming you'll pick up the dog food too at that time"

"Yes sir"

"Alright I'll see you then, one more thing, do you want the old collar?"

James looked at me again, I shook my head

"No sir"

"Ok" Mr Johnson said then he picked up the collar and threw it in the trash

We began to leave the pet store before James thanked Mr Johnson

"Thank you Mr Johnson"

"Anytime James"

We left the pet store and James began jogging down the street, I was struggling to keep up so asked...

"James, where are we going?"

"To the basketball gym"

"Well do you think that could slow down just a little bit?"

"Oh sorry"

We slowed to a trot then he asked me another question...

"So why didn't you want to get another collar like your old collar?"

I sighed and answered

"I didn't want to be reminded everyday of my old life so it started with getting a new collar"

James nodded his head

"I see"

Eventually we made made it to the basketball gym and walked inside where some other boys were already playing basketball, the dogs meanwhile were off to the side watching.

James showed me where to sit, walked over to one of his friends and began stretching

Once I sat down I looked over to the right of me and saw a full grown Pit bull chewing on a bone, he stopped and stared at me...

"What you looking at, mutt pup"

"Nothing, just your bone"

"Yeah, well get a good look at it, because it's the last time you're going to see it"

He picked up the bone in between his jaws and snapped it in half

"And if I get any trouble out of you, you'll be next"

I swallowed an ever growing knot in my throat

"You don't have to worry about me giving you trouble" I replied with a weak voice

"Good"

He turned around and stared at the boys playing basketball. I decided to see who was on the other side of me, maybe we could get along a little bit better. I turned to see a full grown golden Labrador retriever, he had blue eyes and looked kinda friendly...

"Excuse me,what's your name?" I asked

He turned his head and stared at me

"Are you talking to me?" He asked

"Yes"

"Aren't you a little young to be by yourself...mutt?"

I struggled to find an answer

"Well...Uh...maybe...I don't think so"

He continued to stare with his cold eyes

"No wonder they didn't want you" he remarked

"What? Why wouldn't someone want me" I questioned

"Because your little, your weak, you can't even talk without stuttering and your a mixed breed but to dumb it down for you...you're a mutt" he replied

My eyes were starting to become teary eyed and I struggled to fight back the tears when I asked

"I just wanted to know your name"

He leaned over to me and whispered

"In case I didn't make myself clear, this basketball court is no place for mutts"

He stood up straight and gazed straight ahead at the basketball court never giving me a second look.

I stared at the ground almost in tears, what else could I do? I was reminded again of how the world really saw me and you know what? It stinks! But eventually I came to terms with it

I lifted my head to watch James play basketball, something about James helped me take my mind off everything and before I knew it, it was time to go

When we arrived at the pet store the food and collar were already to go

"Here James take a look at the collar" Mr Johnson said

James picked it up and examined it

"What do you think?"

James looked at me and showed me the collar, I nodded my head, the collar itself was a regular green collar, but the dog tag was in the shape of a wolf, made of steel and had the name "ROCKY"engraved on it

"He loves it" James answered

"Ok James that'll be...18.50"

James laid the twenty dollar bill on the desk

"A twenty, alright 1.50 is your change"

"Thank you Mr Johnson"

"You're welcome, have a good day" Mr Johnson said opening the door for James

As we started walking back home, James asked me a question

"How were the other dogs at the basketball court?"

I stared at the ground

"Ok... I guess"

James examined my sad countenance

"What happened?"

My eyes welled up with tears again

"Nothing"

James stopped walking, bent down to where he was face level with me and asked me again...

"Rocky, I'm your friend, you can tell me what happened"

I looked into his eyes, they were warm and glowing with concern

"The older dogs called me little and a...mutt"

He looked at me with a warm smile

"Rocky, you may be little but you'll grow, your still a pup, and as for a mutt, I love you just the way you are"

He stood up, looked at me and said

"C'mon Rocky, let's go home".

For the rest of the summer, James continued playing basketball while I became accustomed to being a regular dog, playing fetch, going on walks, playing at the park, things that I had never really experienced when I was working with Paw Patrol. Everything was perfect until one day James had to go to school...

"I'm not leaving you forever Rocky, I'm just going to school, and you can't go"

"But I'll see you tonight...right?"

"Yes, you'll see me tonight"

"I just don't you to get hurt, so much could happen at school"

"Rocky, chill out man. I tell you what, I'll take you to the park after school...ok?"

"Ok" I sighed

"Alright buddy, I'll see you after school" he rubbed me on the head, grabbed his backpack and headed out the door

I watched out the window as he made his way down the street then eventually, walk out of site

"This is gonna be a long school year" James mom said looking at me

Yeah, a long school year

 **So what do y'all think? I originally didn't know how this kind of story would turn out because I've never seen anyone attempt it but I guess I'll give it a shot**

 **P.S. sorry about the slow chapter hopefully the storyline will become more interesting as the story goes on**


	3. New Life, Old Friends

**New Friends, Old Problems**

Have you ever missed someone so much that while they're gone, you could only watch and wait for them? Well that's where I found myself, a month into the school year. You see, over the course of the summer and month of school, me and James had grown to need each other you might say and that was fine with me

On this particular day, I was looking out the front window and having thoughts of roaming in a summer field with James, when a ringing cell phone snapped me out of thought, I turned with my ears perked up and watched as Mrs Ann(James mom) found the phone and answered it...

"Hello?...Yes, everything's going fine...Rocky?" She let out a chuckle

"Yeah, he's watching the grass grow again...I know, you would think that James was his best friend or something..."

it was Mr Lance(James dad) making his normal noon phone call to Mrs Ann to check on things

I let out a sigh and looked back out the window, what did they care if I was watching grass or not? Oh well Mr Lance was still a great dad, no matter how much James complained about his "strict rules"

So as I was watching out the window, I heard Mrs Ann say her goodbye, hang up, walk into the bathroom, and start filling the bathtub with water. So as I was sitting there, I became aware of an eary silence that suddenly surrounded me and all at once I wasn't feeling so secure any more

I slowly started making my way out of the living room, I was crawling in the kitchen and was almost to the dog door that led out to the backyard, when out of nowhere... I was tackled and picked up by a masked kidnapper in old overalls, I immediately started fighting and struggled to get away but to no avail, I was still a little pup.

As I was fighting, scratching and clawing to get away, the kidnapper began carrying me towards the hallway, then down the long, dark hallway towards the bathroom...bathroom?

The kidnapper carried me into the bathroom, I was tired and out of energy, if I was gonna die, it'd better be quick. The kidnapper took my collar off and turned towards the tub, it was halfway full of hot water and...soap?

SPLASH

I began splashing and throwing water all over the room and coughing up the soapy water I had slightly inhaled after being thrown in the tub, I struggled to see with soapy foam all over my face, but eventually, I was able to see through my teary, burning, watery eyes and watched the kidnapper take off the bandanna, only to see...Mrs Ann?

"Stop splashing water on me you stupid dog!"

Oh. Before I go any further, let me just say that Mrs Ann is really a great mom, especially for me, and she would never try to hurt anyone, but how did I know Mrs Ann was gonna throw some old overalls and a bandanna on and give me a bath? Talk about out of nowhere.

Well anyway once I figured out that it was Mrs Ann, I relaxed my tense muscles in the hot, soapy water, while she began scrubbing my fur, and waited for the ensuing lecture...

"C'mon Rocky, I was only trying to give you a bath, it wasn't like I was trying to kidnap you"

I hung my head in low

"I know you hate water but if you're going to stay in this house you have to be clean"

"I'm sorry Mrs Ann"

"Oh, it's alright just don't act like your...about to..." she stopped scrubbing me and stared at me

"What did you say???"

Oops. In all the commotion, I forgot that James parents still had no idea that I could talk, but now all that's about to change...

"I said, I'm sorry Mrs Ann"

Mrs Ann stared at me in disbelief

"Rocky...am I going...crazy?"

"No ma'am, I can really talk"

Mrs Ann continued staring, never taking her eyes off me

"Ok...how long have you been able to talk?"

"Ever since I can remember"

Mrs Ann gave me a blank stare then continued scrubbing my fur

"Well in that case, James has a lot to answer for when he gets home"

Oh boy. Well after she was done scrubbing me, she pulled me out of the bathtub and I was just about to shake myself dry when she caught my attention and began drying me off...

"Rocky, don't you dare shake that water all over the bathroom!"

I froze and let her dry me off, when she was done she grabbed my collar and put it back on me. After she was done, I trotted back into the living room found my window and began waiting for James again

Mrs Ann walked in behind me and said...

"it's the last Friday of September so we're going to the park tonight to watch my nephews play their last baseball game for the year and I wanted you to look presentable, that's why I gave you a bath"

Well that would explain the bath...I guess. Oh well, I still hated water with an undying hatred but if she wanted me to look presentable, I guess that was the way to do it.

When James finally made it home that day, I ran outside to the front yard to meet him, jumping on him and licking him, but before he went inside I broke the news to him...

"Hey Uh, James?"

"Yeah Rocky?"

"I need to tell you something before you go inside"

"Oh really?"

"Yeah"

"Ok well, what is it?"

"Well uh...you see...you're mom uh...might have...uh...found out today"

"What?! really!?"

"Yes"

He stared at me in utter disbelief

"I'm soooooo dead"

He stated, then slowly walked up to his house. James quietly opened the front door and looked inside, his mom was washing dishes in the kitchen, great now all we have to do is quietly sneak into his room and we would be home fr...

"James Thompson!"

We were caught. James let out a groan then walked into the kitchen were Mrs Ann was waiting, arms crossed, foot tapping and a stern look on her face...

"You have some explaining to do young man" she said

"Yes ma'am, about what?" James asked in a polite tone of voice

"It concerns Rocky"

"Oh, what about Rocky? I already told you that he hates water"

"I know that. It's just that you never told me Rocky could talk"

"Oh...well...now you know"

Mrs Ann stared at James and sighed

"I want to know why you never told me that Rocky could talk"

James began fidgeting with his hands

"Well...you never asked so... I didn't tell you"

"James Thompson, I know you're lying because you're fidgeting again"

James let out a sigh, he knew he was cornered and couldn't get out of this one

"Ok, I didn't tell you because we were afraid that dad was going to take Rocky back to his old home, but Rocky didn't want to go back"

There was a moment of tense silence

"That's why I didn't tell you"

Mrs Ann smiled

"That's it? Oh honey, I would never have let dad take Rocky away, even if his owner did come...he's your dog"

James smiled and gave a sigh of relief, Mrs Ann turned started doing dishes again...

"I'll handle your father about this matter later today" Mrs Ann stated

"Yes ma'am"

"One more thing James, don't make any plans tonight, your cousins have their last baseball game of the year tonight and they don't want you to miss it"

"Ok mom, sounds good" James answered

We walked into James room, he slung his backpack on his bed, went back out into the living room and sprawled out on the couch. He started doing something on his phone when I asked

"Are you still mad?"

He let out a chuckle

"No,I'm not mad. although I don't know how this girl at school will be once I tell her I won't be able to go to her house tonight for the school project we were assigned"

"Oh,okay"

I jumped on the couch with him, he was still on his phone so I tried to make conversation

"So what's the subject of the project you're working on?"

"History"

"Ok...what's the project?"

James looked away from his phone and turned his attention to me

"I think it's about the civil rights movement"

"What's that?" I asked

"It all started in the 1950s, when the white people of America or "pure breeds" as you would call it, were not really oppressing everyone else, they just had better privalages then everyone else or the "mixed breeds" James paused seeing if I was still paying attention

"Wow what a bunch of jerks" I said

"Yeah, so a couple of people who were considered "mixed breed" finally had enough and got together and fought for what's known as "equal rights" James paused again

"I bet they were hero's"

"You bet they were, eventually after years of going back and forth, the House of Representatives passed the "civil rights bill of 1968"

James looked down at me, my tail was wagging as I was clinging onto every word he said

"So, what happened? Did it help the mixed breed or pure breed?" I asked almost shouting

"Calm down Rocky, the bill gave the "pure breed" privileges to everyone, be they "mixed breed" or "pure breed" they all have the same rights"

No sooner did he conclude his story then Mr Lance speed walk into the room

"Hey James, better get ready to go, we wouldn't want to miss your cousins baseball game now would we?"

"No sir" James answered while stroking my (clean) fur

Me and James got up off the couch and heard Mrs Ann's voice from her room

"Lance, I need to talk to you about something"

"Yes dear" Mr Lance said as he walked back into his room

The next fifteen minutes was filled with the sound of a important conversation before Mr Lance came out of his room, wearing a New York Yankees tee shirt, jeans and tennis shoes. He walked into the living room grabbed his keys, looked at me and asked...

"Hey Rocky, how was your day?"

Without hesitation I replied

"Good, expect for the bath part though"

He shook his head, looked at James and said...

"Unbelievable"

Mrs Ann walked into room, Mr Lance looked at her and said...

"Alright, everybody ready to go?"

There was a unified "yes" then we hopped into the car and off we went to the baseball game

When we got to the park, there was an electric atmosphere, the kids were ready to crown the city's little league baseball champion

We began making our way through the heavy crowd to find our seats, I was having a hard time keeping up with James, so I sped up when I turned the corner and bumped into another pup...

"I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention" the pup said rubbing it's head

"That's ok, are you ok?" I asked

The pup looked me and our eyes met...that was the most beautiful husky that I've ever seen! She was a little shorter than me but had a gorgeous tan and white fur coat, eyes that were sky blue, and looked like she was about my age!

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm Faith by the way...what's your name?"

I stood there, at a loss for words with my heart was pounding against my chest and there I was, staring at her for what seemed like an eternity until finally I spoke...

"I...I'm...I'm Rock..."

She tilted her head and smiled at me

"Rock?"

I shook my head in disbelief

"No, it's Rocky"

She let out a giggle

"Well that sounds a whole lot better then rock"

I caught myself gazing at her

"Wha? Oh, yeah it's a whole lot better than rock"

"Aren't you James new dog?" She asked

"Huh? Uh yes...yes I am"

"My owner Katie told me about you, she's helping James work on their project"

"Really? That's interesting"

"Yep, well I got to go now, gotta find Katie"

She started trotting away when I asked...

"Hey Faith, when can I see you again!"

She looked over her shoulder at me with a smile...

"After the game"

"Ok, where after the game?"

"By the concession stand, but don't be late"

"Don't worry, I'll be there"

She smiled and waved goodbye and made her way through the crowd

"I wouldn't miss it for the world" I said to myself

I turned around to try to find James when he found me...

"What are you doing Rocky? The game is about to start!"

He said then motioned his arm at me

We found our seats right next to James aunt and uncle and waited for the game to start...

"Where were y'all?" James uncle asked

"Trying to find you" James answered

"Well good thing y'all found us, the game is starting" "yeah, good thing"

Well the game finally started and boy was it dull, I mean maybe if I wasn't only thinking about Faith, I would've enjoyed the game but it just dragged on and on until finally James cousins team won the game by one run

As soon as it ended, I made a dart for the concession stand and waited for the lovely husky to appear, she did but with a down trodden countenance...

"Hey Faith, what's wrong?"

She looked at me with a worried expression

"Rocky, I think you should go"

"Go? we just barely met, and your saying I should Go???"

"It's nothing personal, but I think you should go"

I was about to ask why when a German Shepherd a little taller than me and about my age, maybe a month older walked up to us...

"Hey Faith, who's the loser?" The German Shepherd asked

"Knock it off Thunder, you know I hate it when you talk like that" she defended

"Aww defending the helpless mutt are we?"

She was about to answer but I had enough, I stuck my nose against his nose and said...

"Look buster, I don't like how you treat miss Faith or how you call people names, but I'm asking you to stop!"

He pulled his nose away and looked at me with a snarl forming at his lips

"Oh yeah pint size? Who's gonna make me?"

"Me" I said suddenly feeling bolder

"Rocky, you don't have to do this" Faith stated

"I know, but if no one takes a stand...who will?" Was my reply

"Really Faith? Trying to reason with mutts? You're dumber than I thought you were, and you know what? I'm gonna have to teach this mutt a lesson he won't forget" Thunder growled

"About what?" I asked

"Staying in your place"

But just before Thunder could do anything else, his master called. Thunder gave me a glare that could've boiled ice...

"We're not finished mutt"

He turned around and trotted to the voice of his master

Faith looked at me with a shocked expression

"No ones ever spoken to Thunder like that"

I gave her a weak smile

"Well, if I didn't do it...who would?"

She gave me a smile

"You know Rocky, I think we might be friends after all"

"What do you mean?"

"As long as you were afraid of Thunder, I didn't ever see us getting together..."

I tilted my head and smiled...

"Really?"

"Yeah, I know it sounds kinda dumb"

"No...I don't think so"

Just then we heard Katie calling for Faith

"Well, I have to go now"

"Ok...see ya later Faith" I said

"Ok bye...oh, and uh here's thanks for standing up to Thunder"

Faith leaned over and...kissed me on the cheek. I started blushing then and there. She on the other hand, gave me a weak smile then trotted over to Katie

As I watched her walk away to Katie, James came up beside me and stroked me on my fur and said...

"Don't worry boy, we'll see them tomorrow"

 **So what do y'all think? Just one thing, please don't start a political dumpster fire in the comments**


	4. My favorite Mutt

**Chapter four**

 **My favorite Mutt**

It was a beautiful morning, the sky was light blue, the cool air was as crisp as the autumn leaves that fell from the tree, the normal neighborhood sounds of children's laughter and childlike games were replaced with a peaceful calm that brought my whole world to a standstill

the gentle fall breeze began shifting to a steady northernly wind that promised a hope of relief from the sweltering hot summer days that once terrorized the streets, yes, this indeed was the first day of October.

Me and James were taking in all the sights and silence of the neighborhood as we strolled down the street, it was quiet and peaceful, something that was very lacking in adventure bay.

We arrived to a stunningly elegant, two story house, with a wraparound porch carved out of beautiful wood, I gawked in amazement until I saw something even more gorgeous up on the front porch

Faith was laying on the front porch swing when we walked up, her ears perked up, she lifted her head and watched us as we came up to the porch with a tilted head, then she gave us a warm smile

James walked to the front door and knocked, the front door opened...

"Hello James, here to work on your project with Katie?" A smiling lady asked

"Yes ma'am" James replied

"Ok, she's in the dining room at the table" the lady said stepping aside to let James in

"Ok, thank you. Uh Mrs Bonnie, can I bring Rocky inside?"

Mrs Bonnie stared at me with a slight frown on her face...

"Probably not, but I'll leave Faith out there to give him some company...ok?"

"Ok, that'll be fine" James finished then stepped inside the house

The front door shut, and I trotted over to the swing, there was something about it, or on it I should say that I found attractive. I reached the swing and began the conversation...

"Beautiful day...isn't it?"

"Just wonderful" she replied without looking at me

"Yeah, it was wonderful, until..." I trailed off

This caught her attention, she looked down at me with a tilted head...

"Until, what?" She asked

I made eye contact with her before I continued

"Until I saw you, now it's almost perfect"

She smiled and rolled her eyes

"What would make it perfect, Rocky?"

"A place up on that swing right next to you would make me the happiest pup alive"

She continued staring at me with a smile, at first I didn't know what to expect till finally after what seemed like an eternity of awkward silence she answered...

"Sure! Hop on up here!"

That's all I needed to hear, I effortlessly leaped onto the swing, once on the swing I laid right next to the husky that had stole my thoughts...

"So, you're pretty new around here" she asked trying to make conversation

"Yeah"

"I liked how you stood up to Thunder yesterday, no ones ever done that"

"What can I say, I saw a need and filled it"

She examined me with carefull eyes

"You're not like the normal dogs around here, there's something...different about you, but I can't put my paw on it"

"What do you mean?"

"First off, you have manners, you're polite, you show courtesy to others, you try to help others and you're always willing to learn new things"

"Uh, just the way I was raised I guess" I tried to dodge the question

"Maybe..it must be hard trying to adjust to a new place"

"No, it wasn't hard at all"

She paused for a moment before asking another question

"So Rocky, where did you come from?"

My mind crashed and before I realized it, I was staring at her with a blank face

"Rocky? Are you feeling ok?"

I snapped myself out of it

"Yeah, I'm fine...what were you asking about again?"

She giggled "Where are you from?"

If there was one thing that I wanted to avoid, it was telling Faith that I used to work for Paw Patrol, so I took my time thinking about how to respond to her question, I looked at the ground then at my paws before finally coming up with an answer...

"I'm from Adventure Bay"

"Really? That's pretty far from here"

"Yup, it sure is"

Before she could ask another question about my former life, there was a flash of white light followed by a deep rumbling sound that grew into a loud bang

Faith turned her head and gazed out at the sky

"Looks like we might get some rain"

I stared at the sky, the light blue sky from earlier this morning had been replaced with dark gray clouds

"Maybe, I sure hope not"

She stared at me with a tilted head and frozen smile

"Why not?"

Great, just great, another touchy topic I wanted to avoid gets brought up. I thought about how I was going to wiggle my way out of this one until I looked into her beautiful sky blue eyes, they were innocent and caring, there's was no way I could lie to her! I breathed in a deep breath, then let out a sigh, I had to tell her

"Because...I hate...I hate being wet"

"Really? How come?"

"I don't know, I just have a aquaphobia"

But before she could say anything else, we began hearing the small, still sounds that sprinkles make when they hit the ground, then the sprinkles started growing until they were big...rain drops.

Oh boy.

Faith looked over at me with a warm smile that could've melted the coldest of hearts...

"Wanna go play?"

"Out there? In the rain!?"

She hopped off the swing and looked back at me...

"Yeah! C'mon let's go!"

"I don't know if I can do that"

She trotted to the edge of the porch "Sure you can! Just have a little faith in yourself"

I hopped off the swing and walked over to the edge of the porch, the rain was coming down harder now and I was going to argue why I didn't want to get wet, I looked over at her and before I could say anything, she tapped me on the shoulder and said...

"Tag! You're it!"

Then she jumped off the porch into the front yard, where it was raining, I stood there shocked at what had just happened, now I had a choice to make, I thought about it for a second, took a deep breath, then jumped off the porch and shouted...

"Not for long!"

I landed in a puddle of cold water, and started chasing her around the front yard in the rain

There we were, the two of us, slipping and sliding back and forth all over the yard trying to tag each other and I was actually enjoying it! until things took an unlikely turn

I had just been tagged by Faith when I looked down the street and saw a dog was trotting down the sidewalk, he appeared to be a...German Shepherd.

I whipped my head around and got Faiths attention, she looked at me then looked at the dog coming down the sidewalk, her cheerful countenance fell...

"What does he want now?" She said under her breath

I shrugged and looked his way, it was Thunder

"Ohhh look at the two love birds playing _tag_ in the rain, so romantic, I think I'm going to be sick!"

He walked up into the yard right next to us and continued making his jerk remarks

"I guess next, you'll ask the filthy mutt to kiss you instead of tag you"

I glared at him "Filthy? Since when?" I asked

"Don't you for a moment think I don't know that you're _scared_ of baths"

"I'm not scared...I just chose to hate baths"

"Uh huh, yeah, sure"

He looked at Faith again and asked...

"How can you even be seen with this mutt, I mean we are the upper class of the neighborhood if you know what I mean"

"At least he has manners, unlike you!" Faith yelled

Thunder examined me with his cruel, heartless green eyes before speaking...

"This thing? Have manners??? Ha, that's a laugh, I'll believe it when I see his pedigree papers wait...that's right he has none!"

By this time I was about ready to just punch him in the mouth or something, anything to make him shut up, but Faith had another idea in hand...

"Oh yeah, we'll see who's laughing when Mrs Bonnie yells at you to leave the yard"

Thunder rolled his eyes and snarled...

"Make me, she'll just yell at me and the mutt standing next to you"

Now I had been pretty quiet up to this point but I had once again had enough of this Shepherd...

"What is it with all you stupid "pure breed" German Shepherds trying to make me feel like I'm a mutt! I know I'm a mutt! There I said it, you happy now!?" I shouted

"No, it's the fact that Faith is falling for a low life rat like you!" He exclaimed in pure rage

"What do you mean?" Faith asked him with a tilted head

"Faith, you need someone who can live up to your pedigree standards like me, not some mutt off the streets"

"Oh, you mean a complete jerk like you! Well I won't have it, Rocky is one hundred times the dog you will never be"

Thunder stared at her with an unchanging expression

"I hope you know what you're doing" he finished then turned around and began trotting down the street

Faith gave me a smile, my face remained emotionless,

"C'mon Faith, let's get out of this rain" I said in a sorta demanding tone of voice

We walked up to the porch, my tail was dragging, Faith noticed and never took her eyes off me, normally that's what I would want but now I could care less. We hopped up onto the swing and laid down, Faith had a concerned look on her face...

"Rocky, what did you mean by "all you German Shepherds" was there another one who teased you?"

I thought about it and looked at her...

"Yes, unfortunately, except his name was Chase, he was a...friend of mine, if you could call him that, he would always tease me about being a mixed breed, and I didn't say anything about it"

"Oh, I'm sorry if I brought back any painful memories"

I cringed at the thought of Chase calling me a cowardly mutt

"It's ok, you didn't mean it"

We sat there for a minute or two in silence before she spoke up...

"Well, I don't care what you are, as long as you're not a jerk, you'll always be my favorite mutt"

I looked at her and couldn't help but smile...

"Really? You're not just saying that?"

"Yeah, I mean, you have stood up to Thunder twice now haven't you?"

"I guess"

"So that settles it!"

Our conversation was then interrupted by the opening of the front door and James stepping outside with his jacket on...

"C'mon Rocky, we got to get home"

I looked over at Faith with a sad expression...

"I guess I better get going, but before I go, can you tell me when I can see you again?"

"Sure, probably sometime next week" she said then kissed me again on the cheeks

I hopped off the swing and followed James home in the rain, when we got home Mrs Ann noticed that I was soaking wet, she asked me...

"What got into you Rocky? I thought you hated water?"

"Normally, unless I'm playing tag" I answered

"Well I hope you don't make a habit of it"

"Yes ma'am"

The rest of the day passed by without any major mishap, we enjoyed it inside, and that's when I realized that everything was perfect, I had a home and family that loved me, and believe it or not, even Faith, the girl of my dreams actually liked me!

Everything was perfect, but little did I know what was going to happen in the following weeks...

 **So what do y'all think?**


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